Arrest warrant issued for contagious TB patient

STOCKTON - An arrest warrant has been issued for a contagious tuberculosis patient whose noncompliance to medical orders makes him a danger to public health.

Jennie Rodriguez-Moore

STOCKTON - An arrest warrant has been issued for a contagious tuberculosis patient whose noncompliance to medical orders makes him a danger to public health.

Authorities are looking for 26-year-old Eduardo Rosas Cruz, who has been diagnosed with Microbacterium tuberculosis, which attacks the lungs and other parts of the body. The disease can be transmitted through coughing and sneezing. It is treated with strong antibiotics.

Officials fear Cruz, without proper isolation and medical care, is exposing the community to the infection. They also fear he may flee to Mexico.

"All attempts to establish ongoing voluntary compliance and communication have failed. ... We are concerned about inducing drug resistance due to inconsistent, inadequate treatment," said a report by Floreida Quiaoit, program manager at Public Health Services.

A photograph of Cruz is not available, but he is described as Latino, 5 feet 4 inches, 130 pounds, 26 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes. He speaks limited English.

Cruz, whose primary language is Spanish, works as a painter and is considered a transient.

Cruz comes from a part of Mexico where drug-resistant tuberculosis is prevalent. The stronger tuberculosis is making its way to the United States, health officials said.

The District Attorney's Office filed court papers for an arrest warrant Wednesday based on a report from San Joaquin County Public Health Services that states Cruz has been missing numerous appointments and cannot be located.

He is charged with one count of refusal to comply with a tuberculosis order.

"I know from previous prosecutions in this county that in the ultimate cases of drug resistance a patient remains infectious until death and can only be saved by surgical removal of the infected lung," Deputy District Stephen Taylor said in court documents.

Health officials first placed an isolation order on Cruz on March 4, when he was discharged from San Joaquin General Hospital and ordered to remain in his motel room.

He violated orders soon after his hospital discharge by not being at the Capri Motel, where he was staying, for scheduled "directly observed therapy."

On March 18, Cruz went to the hospital again complaining of a severe cough. At that time, his registered nurse warned him of potential jail time if he continued disobeying.

Cruz faces up to one year in jail, but the court in San Joaquin County typically allows defendants in such cases out of custody once their treatment is complete, according to Taylor.

The County Jail has seven respiratory isolation jail cells, where inmates are treated and held until they have been cleared to face criminal charges in a courtroom, Taylor said.

Anyone with information about Cruz's whereabouts is asked to contact local law enforcement or county Public Health Services at (209) 468-3889, extension 3889.

Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez-Moore at (209) 943-8564 or jrodriguez@recordnet.com. Follow her at recordnet.com/courtsblog and on Twitter @TheRecordCourts.

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